What helps you get through your fast?

leighn62

I wake up at 5:30 and eat lunch at 1:30. That's a really long time for me to be awake while fasting LOL. I have started a routine of having a cup of coffee when I get to work at 7:00, and alternate coffee and infused water (love my infusion pitcher, let me know if you want a link). I switch to peppermint or other flavored tea about 1 1/2 hours before the fast ends. Lot's of drinking happening but that's not bad right?

TheDoctorDana

Gum. I chew gum constantly after noon. My window is from 4 to 8 so I will chew gum and drink lots of fluids.

abzbargs

Busy mornings help me! I'm a childminder, meaning I have children arrive half an hour after I wake. I allow myself a tea with a splash of milk. Then, after the school run between 9am and 10am (ish) I walk for 3 miles so that gets the time in. I'll usually have another tea (very British of me) I then have housework to do and I am also doing some online courses so that takes me up to 1pm ish when I'm ravenous! Dinner is usually between 6.15-7.15pm depending if I have children after school. I'm satisfied after that and just drink herbal teas until bed. Weekends have been ok so far. My husband and son often go out for breakfasts which I rarely did anyway. We will often eat out at either lunch or dinner time. That's the beauty of this though, I can have a decent sized meal out.

leighn62

Gosh that sounds like a very advantageous schedule. So helpful to be so busy. I have a desk job. It would help so much if I were running around. As it is, I drink lots of infused water, coffee and tea. Also, if I'm feeling very hungry I will go to the keto IF group at Facebook for motivation. Glad IF is working so well for you.

leighn62

I haven't tried longer than 18 hrs but I may try it this weekend since it's Super Bowl Sunday and there will be many temptations. Since I am deciding to succumb to the temptations , I will use a smaller eating window and hopefully derail a full out disaster. Haha

abzbargs

I've also been wondering if I should eat once per day when I have a big eating event. I have a meal out tonight, but I'm on a training course where food gets delivered. People would find it of of I didn't eat. They have soup though, I'll go for that.

leighn62

That's a good idea. Or you could just say you had a big breakfast. You can also make sure you only eat the food you love the best at dinner. I try not to eat foods I don't love. Let me know how you handle it. Good luck!

Nevadaden

Eating one meal a day works really well for me, particularly when it's a holiday or party event. Hard to do too much caloric damage in a three- or four-hour period, especially when there are people to talk to or a game to watch. But at the same time, I get to eat without restricting myself unduly during that time period.

leighn62

Actually, I always thought one meal with wuold be impossible for me but last night I had a binge moment and fell completely off the wagon. I decided, this would be the day to try a longer fast to try and compensate. Weirdly, I felt great all day. I even did 30 min on the treadmill. I has hungry here and there but totally fine to go until dinner. I can't decide if it was because I binged on carbs when I'm normally HFLC or what or what, but I think I'll give it another try tomorrow to help counteract the affects of Super Bowl food. Nevadaden was it always easy to just eat one meal?

sd5598

I've been IF 18:6 for a week now, so I'm still new. I take BCAA in the morning with some MCT oil. Pretty good at keeping me from getting too hungry. My feeding window opens at 2pm and I am usually up at 7. Around noon I start feeling the hunger, but drink more water and if really bad do a quick 5 minute mediation to try to accept that feeling and let it go. Meditation can be hard when you're at work, so I usually go to my car or the bathroom.

leighn62

Meditation is a great idea. A quiet few minutes to breathe and ease the discomfort that the end of a fast can bring. Thanks so much for that tip!

Nevadaden

Leigh, I have never liked to eat in the morning, that wasn't an issue; and I began slowly to gravitate to one meal a day precisely in situations in which I had eaten rather heavily the night before. It was easier to do one meal a day for two reasons: first, once I start to eat, it starts up my appetite. It is much easier to keep a rein on my appetite for three or four hours rather than 10 or 12. Second, knowing that I can eat a full meal at dinner eliminates my feelings of being deprived, which is how I felt when I was spreading out 1200 calories in three meals and snacks. (And when I feel deprived, real or not, I overeat!) So, to answer your question: there was some adjustment, but I didn't find it difficult at all -- in fact, it's the easiest diet I've ever done. Works well for maintenance for me, too. Now that I'm at goal weight I may eat lunch and dinner both, but on days when I have a special dinner I will just eat the one meal that day and possibly the next.

leighn62

That makes so much sense. I know I'm going out for a restaurant dinner tomorrow night so I'm going to fast tomorrow until then. I know I will eat plenty of calories for that dinner, so no need to eat before. You have, provided me with good motivation. Thanks!

abzbargs

Hi, I've ben quiet for a few days. I drank on my night out at the weekend (about 3/4 a bottle of wine), then I came home and binged. However I was at a house party the next day and ate very lightly. Was contemplating doing the one day meal thing to recover either yesterday or today but I'm feeling a little under the weather. Maybe when I feel a bit stronger I'll give it a try. Sound slike you're all doing well :-)

leighn62

Ok, this is a dissertation but I swear I have a reason....I know how that is. I had a binge on crackers AND had 1/2 bottle of wine last Friday night. My husband and I do wine and cheese and salami on Friday nights and I usually avoid the crackers, but not that night. Completely lost it. On Saturday I did my first 20 hour fast, trying to counteract the damage. It was really just fine. I even did 30 min on the treadmill. I felt great, but then I probably had a ton of carbs in my system still. Anyway, I made it all the way until that night when we had a party to go to. Lots of carbs at the party so I DECIDED to eat them. It was a wine tasting so more wine. No idea how many calories but I don't think it was excessive. Then on Sunday I decided I would fast all day again since Super Bowl food was in the offing. I did it again! I have control! I actually counted calories and carbs and ate within my goal. Monday I had gained .6 lbs from my low last week. Not bad right? Could be worse. Had a good day Monday and then gained a whole pound yesterday! AAuuhh! What the heck?! I was really good Monday! I knew I was meeting friends for Mexican food last night, so I fasted all day. I ate my entire plate of enchiladas and refried beans plus a glass of wine and some chips. I think I was somewhat over my calorie goal. Today I lost a pound. Go figure. The point in giving you a play by play of my last few days is to show that we are in control of our behavior but not the scale. Sometimes the scale is up or down for reasons we don't understand. So I certainly didn't lose any net weight this weekend but usually that entire plate of enchiladas would have been my THIRD meal of the day. I allowed my self to enjoy party food, Mexican food and Super Bowl food but I was in control of my behavior. I was proud of myself for not just giving up and eating 3 meals and saying who cares, I've already screwed up. IF has given me back control of my relationship with food. Now I'm deciding to have a really healthy rest of the week. I hope I lose a some lbs but the most important thing for me is to take control back and feel confident. I'll get to my goal. Certainly not as quickly as if I decided not to have a social life and drink wine and eat mexican food but I know I will. Hope the dissertation was useful for any of you who are angry at yourselves for a binge. Forgive yourself and DECIDE what you want to do about it. You control food. Not the other way around.

abzbargs

Well your fun weekend of eating and drinking and not gaining weigh in the end, just shows how good these short fasts are! I do agree with what you say about the scales. One day I had gained 3 lbs, but I knew I had been within calories for several days before. I didn't let it bother me and lo and behold, they disappeared within a couple of days. Perhaps our bodies like to hold on to more water at certain times etc?

leighn62

Yep, I think that's true but I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHY!

dasher602014

Hi,

I like to join in here too. I have been eating LCHF for about 6 months now. I do find it easier to fast (16:8 is all I have done) when I am keto adapted. If I have eaten carbs, I cannot fast because I cannot control the hunger.

I got interested in fasting when I looked at Dr Jason Fung's videos. They are geared towards diabetic control. I am not diabetic but my husband is. Dr Fung's videos are all on youtube and really interesting. They answer many questions about the body's working with glucose and the storage of fat.

Fasting does give me control of my food and my hunger. It is very liberating. I think though, fasting before a special occasion is the answer. I normally do not eat more than I need, after a fast. My body doesn't seem to want to, or at least that is my experience. However, if I fast after a special eating occasion, I am hungry. My reasoning is insulin is up and that drives my hunger. At least, for me, that is when a fast fails.

What do you think? Are fasts easier when you haven't had a larger 'feed' before them?

dasher602014

leighn62 wrote: »

Yep, I think that's true but I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHY!

Wouldn't we all? I read recently (but I forgot where) that scales are a bit like a blood pressure reading. Because the body is always in flux balancing electrolytes, wastes, breathing etc. that a weight reading is simply that. A reading at a point in time. Like blood pressure, it is the trend we should be after.

Reading this, helped, sort of. But like Blood pressure, I want a perfect scale reading every time!

leighn62

Nice to meet you dasher. That's a good question. I think it is more difficult to fast after I have "fallen of the wagon" especially if I had a carb fest. Not as much if I binged on low carb things. I agree, I have a much easier time doing a longer fast before a special occasion. In fact, I have a happy hour tonight at my house and yesterday I was logging my food for today and I was getting stressed out because I was having trouble fitting all of my calories in for the day knowing that I would be eating and drinking wine tonight. ....but then I had the light bulb moment where I realized that I don't HAVE to eat lunch today. I can wait and eat and drink tonight without having to worry too much. I made the effort to make low carb appetizers. It was SO liberating to know that I will be able to enjoy my appetizers AND a couple of glasses of wine without blowing my macros for the day. IF has completely changed the way I feel about hunger and has given me control over food. I will feel very satisfied with my food and wine intake tonight with no guilt. I get to have my cake and eat it to!..(so to speak, haha). I am currently 20 hours into my fast and have 2 more to go. I usually do 18 hrs every day and while I am pretty hungry, I feel just fine and pretty powerful. I have found this style of IF useful a couple of times in the last few weeks when I knew I was going to have a large dinner out at night. It has worked very well both times and while wouldn't choose to fast this long every day, it is very helpful for the "special occasion" situations. I love the freedom!

dasher602014

I love the freedom and control that LCHF gives me. I don't have to keep track of every morsel that goes in my mouth as long as it isn't carb related. I have been heavy for only 15 years of my life. And I dieted during that time, so for some of it, I was small. I still am surprised to find myself in the 'heavy' category. And I know that not everyone can related to that!

But being small for so many years, I never had to worry about what I ate. I do not find control in logging. It can have its victories but I resent having to do it. I just want to live my life and not think about my next meal. Like it used to be. LCHF gives me that, as does fasting. If I cannot find anything suitable to eat where I am, I just don't eat. Being LCHF, I am never famished so I have the control to do that. And, no, I am not perfect, but I can do this as a choice.

I think, too, that fasting after a special occasion may have the whisper of food control issues. Eating too much, eating too little, eating too much etc - sounds as if it could slip control all to easily. In fact, it sounds like me on a regular diet. Losing control one day, starting dieting again the next and losing control again.

But not eating before a generous and special meal, sounds more controlled, rational and very much what generations before us did when there was a treat on the horizon. You adjusted your diet to allow for it. "Leave room for dessert" and all those sort of expressions.

The other thing floating through my head, is that fasting after a large feed, has a feeling of 'punishment' rather than freedom. Just my opinion.

Well done, Leighn62, on your fast. It just feels so good to have mastery over food as fuel. Enjoy your special occasion. I know I savour the food more at them now and don't waste my taste or calories on 'cheap' thrills.